Members of Gov. Chris Christie's Cabinet and other high-level staffers got soaked Wednesday as part of the ALS Ice Bucket Challenge, in honor of a colleague afflicted with the neurodegenerative disease.

Robert Czech of Sea Girt, who is chair and chief executive officer of the Civil Service Commission, has been affected by ALS for nearly four years and is no longer able to speak. He was on hand to watch the event. A similar group dousing was held in Sea Girt over the weekend, with more than 200 participants.

The soaking on the Statehouse steps, which appeared to include cold water rather than ice water, was led by Lt. Kim Guadagno, who was serving as acting governor at the time because Gov. Chris Christie was on a campaign trip in Oklahoma. Christie did his own ice bucket challenge over the weekend.

The ALS Association said that it has received $31.5 million in donations between July 29 and Aug. 20, compared with $1.9 million in the same period a year earlier. Participants are encouraged to make a small contribution if they take the challenge and $100 if they're challenged but don't get wet.

Statehouse Reporter:
Michael Symons is one of the longest-tenured reporters currently covering New Jersey politics from the Statehouse in Trenton, an assignment that has spanned six governors – though because it’s been a particularly tumultuous era, that’s actually only been since 2000. Before being assigned to Trenton, where his specialties include the state budget, Michael worked at the Home News Tribune (back when it had an ampersand in its name) and one of its predecessors, The News Tribune. He’s a lifelong New Jerseyan, raised in North Arlington in Bergen County and currently living in East Amwell in Hunterdon County, with a stop in between to graduate from Rutgers University in New Brunswick in 1993. Michael is co-author of the first biography of Gov. Chris Christie, ""Chris Christie: The Inside Story of His Rise to Power,"" published in 2012 by St. Martin’s Press. He has appeared on national television outlets such as MSNBC and C-SPAN, is a regular guest on NJTV’s public-affairs program Reporters Roundtable and has been interviewed on radio stations in New Jersey and around the country. In 2008, he created a state politics blog, Capitol Quickies, that continues to provide news and not-quite-news about New Jersey, its politics and government, including a daily scene-setter of the state’s political calendar. He’s on Twitter at @MichaelSymons_, where every week he receives inquiries about cooking he’s ill-equipped to answer from people hoping to connect with the similarly named Iron Chef star.